What are the side effects of taking oral contraceptives for a long time?

Some women do not want to have children in the near future, so they have to take some contraceptive measures. To insert an IUD, one must go to the hospital, which is troublesome and may cause inflammation in the body. Men are often reluctant to wear condoms because they feel uncomfortable. So at this time women will take birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. In fact, all contraceptive measures have advantages and disadvantages, and oral contraceptives are no exception. If taken for a long time, there will be the following side effects:

1. Early pregnancy reaction

Symptoms include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and even fatigue, dizziness and other reactions similar to those in early pregnancy. It usually occurs within 1-2 weeks of taking the medicine. This reaction is related to the estrogen in the contraceptive pill stimulating the gastric mucosa.

2. Vaginal Bleeding

Many women experience persistent spotting or breakthrough bleeding similar to menstrual volume while taking the medication. This is related to missed doses, late doses of birth control pills, or insufficient effectiveness of birth control pills.

3. Oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea

Contraceptive pills can cause endometrial hypoplasia and insufficient glandular secretion, so the endometrium cannot grow normally and becomes thinner, resulting in reduced menstrual volume. Some women experience amenorrhea due to excessive inhibitory effects of contraceptives, which results in no withdrawal bleeding after stopping the medication.

4. Weight Gain

Certain ingredients in contraceptives can cause weight gain: androgens can cause increased appetite or acne, especially in the first 3 months of taking oral contraceptives; increased estrogen levels cause water and sodium retention, thus leading to weight gain in the second half of the menstrual cycle; progesterone promotes anabolism, leading to weight gain. It is worth mentioning that the incidence of weight gain is only about 15%.

5. Facial pigmentation

Some women who take the drug for a long time may develop pregnancy-like butterfly spots on their cheeks, which are pigmentation caused by estrogen. It is more likely to occur in people who already have pigmentation during pregnancy after taking birth control pills, and it is related to sun exposure.

The method of contraceptive pills is relatively simple and convenient, but if taken for a long time, there will be side effects, such as making women fat, rough and spotted skin, menstrual disorders, premature ovarian failure, etc. Therefore, it is okay to take contraceptive pills once or twice occasionally, but it is best not to take them for a long time to avoid harm to the body.